{"id":1275616,"date":"2026-04-28T13:15:56","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T13:15:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/blog\/?p=1275616"},"modified":"2026-07-16T10:26:57","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T10:26:57","slug":"where-are-the-friendliest-cities-in-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/blog\/where-are-the-friendliest-cities-in-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Are the Friendliest Cities in the World? Here’s the List"},"content":{"rendered":"

There’s a specific feeling you get in certain cities. Not the postcard moment or the museum highlight, but the smaller thing: someone redirecting you before you’ve even looked lost, a stranger at a restaurant table waving you over to share a dish, a hostel dorm where you walk in alone and leave with plans for the next three days.<\/p>\n

That feeling has a name. Friendliness. And it turns out, some cities just have more of it than others.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This list is a mix of different sources that polled tens of thousands of locals across the globe and asked them one honest question: is your city welcoming? The answers produced a list that spans five continents and rewards the kind of traveller who cares less about ticking sights and more about how a place actually feels.<\/p>\n

Here’s every city on the list, and where to stay when you get there.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\uddfa\ufe0f The Full List at a Glance<\/h2>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
City<\/th>\nCountry<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Porto<\/strong><\/td>\nPortugal<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bilbao<\/strong><\/td>\nSpain<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Quito<\/strong><\/td>\nEcuador<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vienna<\/strong><\/td>\nAustria<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cape Town<\/strong><\/td>\nSouth Africa<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Singapore<\/strong><\/td>\nSingapore<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Florence<\/strong><\/td>\nItaly<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Melbourne<\/strong><\/td>\nAustralia<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sydney<\/strong><\/td>\nAustralia<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lisbon<\/strong><\/td>\nPortugal<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Edinburgh<\/strong><\/td>\nScotland<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kyoto<\/strong><\/td>\nJapan<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Brighton<\/strong><\/td>\nUK<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Medell\u00edn<\/strong><\/td>\nColombia<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dublin<\/strong><\/td>\nIreland<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Photo by Everaldo Coelho<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tBook Hostels in Porto<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf77 1. Porto, Portugal: Where Warmth Is Just Part of the Culture<\/h2>\n

Porto appears on virtually every major friendliness survey for the same reason: the warmth here isn’t performed, it’s just how people are. Locals stop to help you with the tram routes before you’ve asked. Bartenders pour you a second glass of port and sit down to explain the difference between the styles. The word “obrigado” comes back at you with a smile every single time.<\/p>\n

Multiple travel surveys, from Time Out’s City Life Index to Rough Guides reader polls, consistently place Porto among the very top cities in the world for friendliness, with locals more likely to describe their neighbours as welcoming than in almost any other city surveyed. That’s a specific kind of endorsement.<\/p>\n

Porto also scores exceptionally high for beauty across every survey that measures it. The azulejo-tiled buildings along the Douro riverfront, the S\u00e3o Bento station with its painted panels, the terraces of Vila Nova de Gaia watching the sun go down over the water. Porto rewards slowing down<\/strong>, and the people make that easy.<\/p>\n

Don’t leave without eating a francesinha (a reckless combination of meat, bread, and spiced beer sauce that is absolutely worth it) and standing on the Dom Lu\u00eds I Bridge at golden hour with a glass of tawny port in hand.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfe8 Where to Stay in Porto<\/h3>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tBook The Passenger Hostel<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

The Passenger Hostel<\/strong><\/a> is consistently rated one of the top hostels in Porto on Hostelworld. Set in a converted building near the city’s main transport hub, with design and community atmosphere that’s become a hallmark of the best Portuguese hostels.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tBook Onefam Ribeira<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Onefam Ribeira<\/strong><\/a> is right next to Porto Cathedral in the heart of the old town, with free activities including weekly family dinners, city adventures, and a social energy built around the idea that solo travellers should leave with friends.<\/p>\n

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Photo by David Vives<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tBook Hostels in Bilbao<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\ud83e\udd91 2. Bilbao, Spain: Industrial Cool with Basque Heart<\/h2>\n

Bilbao came second globally, with 71% of locals describing their city as welcoming. The Basques have a reputation for keeping to themselves. In Bilbao, that’s only half the story. Once you’re in the pintxos bars of the Casco Viejo, the city opens up entirely.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The old town’s Seven Streets are narrow and medieval, lined with bars where plates of pintxos cover every surface and everyone stands. This is how Bilbao eats and socialises: standing up, together, glass in hand. Order something, pay at the end. Watch what the locals point at. You’ll figure it out.<\/p>\n

Beyond the Guggenheim (which is genuinely worth the hype, Frank Gehry’s titanium curves still feel revolutionary decades later), Bilbao is a working city with a strong sense of Basque identity. The Mercado de la Ribera, the riverfront walk along the Nervi\u00f3n, the funicular up Mount Artxanda for views over the whole valley. None of it is staged. All of it is good.<\/p>\n

Quick tip:<\/strong> Bilbao is one of the most underrated weekend destinations in Europe. Flights from most European cities are cheap, the old town is compact and walkable, and the food-to-effort ratio is extraordinary.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\ud83c\udfe8 Where to Stay in Bilbao<\/h3>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tBook Latroupe la Granja<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Latroupe la Granja<\/strong><\/a> is the highest-rated hostel in Bilbao on Hostelworld, rated 9.2\/10, set in an emblematic building right in the heart of the city near Plaza Circular. A hybrid hostel with events, food, live music, exhibitions, and a co-working space built for meeting both locals and travellers. The place to be for solo travellers who want a social, culturally engaged stay.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tBook Poshtel Bilbao<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Poshtel Bilbao<\/strong><\/a> sits directly next to the Guggenheim Museum, placing you between the new Bilbao and the old town, close to the Nervi\u00f3n river, Gran V\u00eda, and the pintxos bars of the Casco Viejo. Premium design, a lively activity calendar, and private rooms available alongside dorms. The best-located hostel in the city for first-time visitors.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tBook Quartier Bilbao Hostel<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Quartier Bilbao Hostel<\/strong><\/a> is a modern social hostel in a former fabric factory in the heart of the Casco Viejo, 50 metres from the Ribera Market and 100 metres from Santiago Cathedral. Pub crawls, live concerts on site, yoga sessions, and a consistently warm staff. The most atmospheric option for travellers who want to be inside the old town from the moment they arrive.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Photo by Andres Medina<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tBook Hostels in Quito<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf0b 3. Quito, Ecuador: The Surprise at the Top of the World<\/h2>\n

Quito doesn’t get the attention it deserves, and that’s precisely part of its charm. The Ecuadorian capital sits at 2,850 metres above sea level in the Andes, surrounded by volcanoes, and its UNESCO-listed old town is one of the best-preserved colonial centres in Latin America. The welcome here is genuinely warm<\/strong>, and the hostel scene reflects that: community dinners, salsa nights, family-style breakfasts, and staff who treat tours and recommendations as a personal mission.<\/p>\n

A few things that make Quito special:<\/p>\n